Whiffletree



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(Application 1-ed May 29, 1897.

(N0 Mode'I'.)

Wi- @ses v Wm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

WILLIAME. cARvER, or OAsTLE'ROcK, COLORADO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,220, dated November' 15, 1898.

Application filed May 29, 1897i Serial ll'o. 638,746. (No model.)

. To all whom/.it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. CARVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Castle Rock, in the county of Douglas and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Whifdetree, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to improvements in whifletrees; and the object that I have in view is to provide means for connecting a trace-hook to the whiflietree in a manner to permit the trace-hook to have a limited swinging and sliding movement -on the whiffletree for the purpose of attaching or detaching the trace-hook, and said trace-hook-attaching means is also constructed with a view to lim iting the swinging movement of the tracehook to a position where the trace will not become accidentally detached from the 'said hook.

I am aware that it is old to provide a tracehook which is loosely fitted in a curved nger of a sleeve which is fastened to one end of the whifletree, the trace-hook being provided at its free end with a curved beak adapted to receive the trace or chain. In my invention the trace-hook consists of a rounded eye provided with a straight arm that terminates in an inwardly-extending prong adapted to receive and confine the trace or chain of a harness. The rounded eye loosely encircles the thimble, and it is held or confined thereon n by loops or keepers which loosely embrace said hook-eye and permit the latter to have a sliding and turning movement on'the thimble. The loops or keepers are peculiarly disposed on the thimble to serve as stops in limiting the rearward swinging movement of the trace-hook, and this end is attained by employing two loops or keepers which are arranged in divergent positions with relation to each other and substantially in the direction of the length of the thimble. I have found that a single loop will not serve to limit the rearward swinging movement of the tracehook, and to attain the object that I have in view it is necessary that a pair of such loops or keepers be employed and that they bearranged in divergent positions relatively to each other in order that the ring of the tracehook may bind or bear against the loops or keepers and be limited to a position where the straight arm of the hook is in line with the whiftletree. The rearward swinging movement of the trace-hook being limited by the angular loops or keepers, it is necessary that the tracelhook should be capable of a sliding one end of the whiffietree partly in section' and illustrating the trace-hooks in their normal positions with relation to the whifiietree. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a part of the whiftletree, the thimble, and the trace-hook, showing the latter swung around to bring its straight arm substantially in line with the whifletree.

v Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings I have illustrated an ordinary whiffletree l, which is of a type familiar to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates. The whiftletree is made, preferably, of Wood, although it may be made of metal. My improvement consists in the employment of a truss 3 and Athimbles 7 in connection with a brace-rod 2. is in the form of an openloop, and one end of the truss is rounded and provided in its curved vertical face with a horizontal groove or channel 4C. The other end of the loopshaped truss is open andthe ends of the truss are bent upwardly to form the feet 5, adapted to be applied laterally against one oi' the vertical faces of the whiflietree, at the center thereof, and said truss is secured rmly in place by means of bolts or screws, which pass through the feet and into the central part of the whiftletree. Thetruss occupies a horizontal position with relation to the whiflie- The truss 3- IOO tree, and it extends outwardly therefrom substantially at right angles for a suitable distance. The looped form of the truss serves to receive the means by which the whifiietree may be attached to a doubletree or to the end of a pole when the whiiiletree is to be used for a lead-horse.

The thimbles 7 are constructed to it irmly and tightly over the ends of the whifiletree l, and each thimble is provided atits outer end with an integral lug or ear 6, which extends substantially at right angles to the thimble and projects from the rear side thereof a suitable distance to receive the end of the bracerod 2.

In applying the brace-rod to a whiiiietree the strut 3 is firmly secured to the central part of the whiiiletree and the thimbles 7 are secured to the ends of the whiffietree to have the apertured lugs in line with the channel in the strut. The extremities of the tracerod are externally threaded and passed through apertures in the lugs 6, while the central part of the brace-rod is fitted in the channel or groove 4 in the curved outer face of the loop -shaped truss. The nuts 8 are screwed on the threaded ends of the bracerod to bear against the outer faces of the lugs G, and thus the brace-rod may be strained to thoroughly brace the whifiletree 1 and secure the thimbles 7 to the ends of said whifli etree against accidental detachment.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my truss-rod may be readily and securely fastened to ordinary whiifletrees for the purpose of thoroughly bracing the same and that it is not necessary to employ a special constructionof whiiiietree for use in connection with my brace means.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a trace-hook 8f, which is adapted to be confined by the loops or keepers l0 of the thimbles 7 in a manner to swing rearwardly thereon for the purpose of bringing its straight arm in line with the whifiietree, and said loops or keepers serve to limit the rearward movement of the trace-hook and permit its ring or eye 9 to have a limited sliding movement in said keepers. The tracehook which I prefer to employ consists of a rounded ring or loop D of a diameter proper to lit on the metallic thimble 7, and integral with this ring or eye is a straight arm which is parallel to the plane of the ring and has a short lug or strut extending inwardly toward the opening or eye in said ring. I employ a pair of loops or keepers 10, which are rigid with the thimble 7, and said loops or keepers are disposed on the rear side of said thimble. The keepers are necessarily arranged in pairs, because a single keeper will not serve the purpose of limiting the rearward swinging movement of the trace-hook. The keepers forming each pair are disposed on the thimble substantially in the direction of the length thereof, and said keepers are arranged in divergent positions with relation to each other, the keepers diverging from their points of attachment adjacent to the outer end of the thimble and the whifletree. In the use of the trace-hook the ring or eye 9 thereof loosely encircles the thimble 7 and the hook stands outwardly from the front side of the whifiletree, so that its terminal prong is close to said whifiietree and prevents the accidental detachment of the trace or chain from the hook, as will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 2. The loose trace-hook is capable of a turning movement as well as a sliding movement in the keepers and on the thimble, and said hook is also adapted to have a rearward swinging movement when it is desired to detach the trace or chain from the hook. This rearward swinging movement of the trace-hook is limited to prevent the hook from assuming a position where the trace is likely to become detached acciden tally. The strain of the trace normally tends to keep the hook 'in a position at the diver gent ends of the angularly-disposed loops,

Aand with the hook in this position its free end when swung outwardly cannot move to a position far enough away from the end of the thimble to permit the trace to become detached, because the loop of the trace-hook abuts at two points against the keepers and at a third point against the thimble and be; tween the divergent loops. To disengage the trace, it is necessary to draw the ring of the hook outwardly toward the adjacent ends of the loops, and this adjustment of the hook permits the latter to be moved to a position where its free extremity is extended farther beyond the thimble and is swung back farther and morein line with the whifiietree 5 but even in this position the rearward swinging movement of the hook is limited by the loops, so that the loops serve under all conditions to arrest the hook. Vhen the hook is in the last-described position-t'. e., at the outer adjacent ends of the loops, so as to be projected beyond and at a slight angle to the thimblethe trace may be readily detached by hand.

It is thought that the operation and advantages of my improvement will be readily un derstood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- The combination with a whifletree-thimble, of the pair of stop-loops rigidly united to the thimble on the rear side thereof and arranged in divergent positions so as to lie close together at the outer end of the thimble and be spread apart near the inner end of the thimble, and a trace-hook having a ring adapted to loosely embrace the thimble and fitted loosely in the divergent loops to swing therein and to slide lengthwise thereof, said tracehook adapted to be limited in its rearward my own I have hereto affixed my signature in movement by impinging at two points against the presence of tWo Witnesses. the loops and also against the thimble, and said rearward movement of the trace varying 5 according as it fits in the inner or outer ends Witnesses: l

of said loops, substantially as described. JOHN H. SIGGERS,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as ROBERT E; CRUMP.

W. E. CARVERa 

